


Music to His Ears

by Emby_M



Series: We Pry What Happiness We Can [2]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Happy Ending, M/M, Multi, Universe Alteration, poly marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-02 03:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17880008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emby_M/pseuds/Emby_M
Summary: "No," he says, feeling his eyes crinkle in the pure delight of this moment, of having someone care this much, of having this woman who cares -- and he knows the moment John gets back and hears, he will do the same, offer to undo any insult Mary lobbed his way.-Arthur returns from meeting Mary Gillis, now Mary Abrams, and is happy to see his family.





	Music to His Ears

**Author's Note:**

> Universe alterations:  
> -Arthur never went to collect on the Downes. Other aspects of the missions remain unchanged.  
> -Hosea almost dies in the bank heist, but doesn't. It scares Dutch enough that they just retire +the gang breaks up. They are on Tahiti.  
> -Sean, Kieran, Lenny, and Micah are dead.  
> -John and Abigail still go through most of their challenges shown in the epilogue -- Abigail and Jack still leave, they still all work as farm hands, etc. etc. but everything is a little easier with Arthur there - especially with Arthur encouraging and sometimes pushing John to do and be better.  
> -Jack is a more functional kid -- growing up with three parents, there's always someone to help him and take care of him. He's looking at going to college to the immense pride of his parents, with the help of Hosea (who went to Yale.)  
> -John (and the family) still meet and are friends with Bonnie. Bonnie and Sadie met and are also married.  
> -They're all Marston-Morgan, on their marriage certificate, but usually call themselves the Marstons.  
> -Orville went clean and is happily a minister again. He's been travelling.

He comes home to the sound of Abigail's pealing laughter, and Jack's flustered, hurried voice.

Music to his ears.

He met Mary -- Mrs Abrams, now, good for her -- in town while he was picking up cloth for some new garments. It was surprising to him how little it mattered.

It almost didn't matter at all. Except that now, he had something that would make Abigail's brow furrow, make her stand with hands on her broad hips and say to him -- _do you need me to kill that woman, because I can kill that woman_.

A smile cracks along his face.

He dismounts from his horse -- Mari Lwyd, a gruello mustang, Bonnie got her as a wedding present for the three of them. Just about the sweetest horse he's ever had -- the first one Jack's ever rode by himself, too.

Abigail appears 'round the house, her fingers in Rufus' collar, holding him between her legs.

"Arthur- Arthur, get ready to catch him-" she laughs, "We were washing him but he was so excited to see you!"

Arthur laughs, and takes up a stance, hands ready.

"Here he comes!" She laughs, and Rufus takes off at lightning speed, his tag jingling as he bounds over to Arthur, jumping up and panting and panting and panting.

"Hiiii buddy," Arthur says, squatting, mussing up Rufus's floppy ears, "Did you miss me, fella? You're naughty, getting away from momma like that."

Abigail laughs. She's flushed and sparkling red, hands wet and her apron over her skirts.

He stands again, once Rufus is calmer. "Alright boy, go back to mama!"

He points, and Rufus dutifully barrels back to Abigail, who guides him back into a wash basin.

He joins them. Jack's there too.

"Hi, Da," Jack says, a faint flush on his cheeks and sweat on his brow. "How was town?"

"Good, good. Ran into a friend."

"Oh, who?" Abigail says, now lathering some soap and washing Rufus's head.

"Take a guess," he says, watching the two of them.

"Hmm... not Bonnie, was it?"

"No, ma'am."

"Was it Uncle Orville?" Jack offers, rinsing dutifully wherever his mother soaps.

"Nope, last I heard he was in New York -- or was it Connecticut?"

"We should visit him," Abigail says, "Or at least you and Jack should. Hosea's been talking about sending a letter of recommendation our way -- for Yale."

"I dunno if I'm ready for that," Jack says, voice a little tight, "I'm just... a simple country boy."

"You are nothing of the sort, Jack Marston!" She quips, playfully hitting his hand, "You're the smartest of us in the house."

"Who I met?" Arthur interjects, wanting to keep the conversation on track.

"Oh, right - Oh, I don't know Arthur, who did you meet?"

"Mary."

Jack looks up, a little, but Abigail's hands pause on Rufus's back. That look -- oh, he loves that look, makes him grin like crazy -- it's a look that is all her protectiveness, her ruthlessness, all the brutality she learned in the gang and had always had simmering in her gut -- all of it wrapped into one easily-read expression.

"What did she say," she says. Jack focuses on Rufus, cooing to him when the dog picks up on the way her fists tighten in his coat.

"Nothing much."

"What did she say to you, Arthur Morgan!"

"Ouch," he says, pantomiming hurt, "I'm Marston-Morgan now."

"Arthur!" she chirps, and puts her wet hands on her skirt exactly the way he hoped she would, "Do I have to march down to Blackwater and find her -- did she hurt you?"

He laughs.

"No," he says, feeling his eyes crinkle in the pure delight of this moment, of having someone care this much, of having this woman who cares -- and he knows the moment John gets back and hears, he will do the same, offer to undo any insult Mary lobbed his way. "No, Mary got remarried to a nice banker. I told her plain and clear that I was married to you two, that I had a darling, darling son named Jack-"

"Shut up, Da," Jack says, pinky flush over his cheeks.

"Don't sass me, boy," he quips, and Jack sticks out his tongue at him. "But uh, no -- no real insult. Wasn't mean, didn't try to proposition me or anything."

Abigail relaxes back, returning to soaping up Rufus. "Well good. Next time you go in town I'm going with you. Show her that ring she gave back to you sitting on my pretty little finger."

**Author's Note:**

> This is very healing for me.....  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
